Charger

ABSTRACT

A pair of right and left fixing holes and a pair of strap attachment holes are provided on a rear surface of a main body housing at a position which does not protrude from a side area S in a planar view. A bottom edge portion of an upper recessed portion is provided above the fixing hole to cover each of the right and left fixing holes, the strap attachment holes are provided to be coaxial with the bottom edge portion, and it is ensured that durability and compactness of the charger are obtained.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a charger for charging a battery pack(secondary battery) used as a power source, for example in an electrictool such as a chargeable type screw fastening machine.

Description of the Related Art

This kind of battery pack is detached from a tool main body and ischarged by a separately prepared charger, and thus, the battery pack canbe repeatedly used. With respect to the charger, in order to improve thefunction or increase the usability, various methods have been performedin the related art. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent PublicationNo. 2009-296724 below discloses a technology to increase usability whenthe battery pack is attached and detached in the situation where thecharger is a wall-hanging type charger.

However, it is necessary to further improve the wall-hanging structureof the related art as follows. In the wall-hanging structure of therelated art, a so-called tumbler-shaped hole is provided on a bottomsurface of the charger, and the charger is maintained in a wall-hangingstate in a state where a protrusion provided on a wall side is hooked onthe tumbler-shaped hole and is hung. Accordingly, for example, when aperson carelessly comes into contact with the charger, or the like,positional deviation of the charger occurs, and when large positionaldeviation occurs, there is a concern that the protrusion may becomedisengaged from the tumbler-shaped hole or the like, and thus, there isa problem in that the wall-hanging state of the charger is not stable.

According to the present embodiment, the positional deviation does notoccur even when a person carelessly comes into contact with the chargeror the like, and the charger can be hung in a more stable state on thewall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-described problems are solved by the following embodiments.

According to a first embodiment, there is provided a charger that can bemounted in a bottom surface of a main body housing along a wall surfacein a wall-hanging posture. The charger includes a battery attachmentportion to which a battery pack downwardly slides to attach and fromwhich the battery pack upwardly slides to detach in the wall-hangingposture. The charger is provided with a regulating member that engageswith the wall surface in a concave-convex way. The regulating memberregulates a relative displacement of the main body housing with respectto the wall surface in a detachment direction of the battery pack.

According to the first embodiment, in the wall-hanging mounting state,the relative displacement (the upward relative displacement) in thebattery detachment direction of the charger is regulated by theregulating portion. Accordingly, when the battery pack slides from thebattery attachment portion to the upper portion and is detached, a userdoes not need to press the charger so that the charger is notpositionally deviated upward, the user slides the battery pack to theupper portion while grasping the battery pack with one hand, and thus,the battery pack can be simply detached. Therefore, the user can detachthe charged battery pack with one hand from the charger in a state wherethe user holds a tool with the other hand, and in this regard, usability(operability) of the charger can be increased.

According to a second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the main bodyhousing may include a two-piece structure in which a lower dividedhousing on the wall surface side and an upper divided housing that hasthe battery pack attachment portion are butted against each other at ajoining surface along the wall surface. A lower recessed portion that isinwardly recessed in a side face area in a planar view of the main bodyhousing may be provided in the lower divided housing. A fixing hole forscrewing the main body housing to the wall surface may be provided on abottom edge portion of the lower recessed portion. And, a fixing screwthat is inserted through the fixing hole for screw-fastening mayfunction as the regulating member.

According to the second embodiment, the main body housing is screwed viathe fixing hole, and compared to a hooked state in which only atumbler-shaped hole is used, the main body housing can be mounted in astable wall-hanging posture.

Moreover, since the fixing hole is provided on the bottom edge portionprovided at the position which does not protrude from the side area in aplanar view of the main body housing, even when the charger drops or thelike, damage to the bottom edge portion can be prevented in advance, andthus, the thickness of the bottom edge portion is decreased, anddurability of the main body housing can be increased while the requiredlength of the fixing screw is shortened.

Moreover, since the screwing is performed via the fixing hole of thelower divided housing side, as compared to when the screwing isperformed via the fixing hole of the upper divided housing side, thelength of the fixing screw can be shortened.

According to a third embodiment, in the second embodiment, an upperrecessed portion may be provided in the upper divided housing at thesame position as the lower recessed portion in a planar view, and abottom edge portion of the upper recessed portion may be positioned inthe upper portion of the fixing hole.

According to the third embodiment, the bottom edge portion of the upperrecessed portion is disposed to cover the upper portion of the bottomedge portion of the lower recessed portion on which the fixing hole isprovided, and in this regard, the bottom edge portion of the lowerrecessed portion is not easily damaged.

According to a fourth embodiment, in the third embodiment, athrough-hole that is coaxial with the fixing hole may be provided in thebottom edge portion of the upper recessed portion.

According to the fourth embodiment, the through-hole of the upperrecessed portion side is used as an operating hole into which a driver(screwdriver) is inserted, and thus, fastening a fixing screw to thefixing hole is easily performed.

Moreover, the upper divided housing and the lower divided housing areprovided and the fixing hole and the through-hole are provided, and whenthe housings are manufactured by resin molding, a molding die can besimplified.

According to a fifth embodiment, in the fourth embodiment, thethrough-hole may function as a strap attachment hole for attaching astrap for carrying the charger on the shoulder.

According to the fifth embodiment, the charger can be carried in thestate where the charger is shouldered, and the function of thethrough-hole provided on the bottom edge portion of the upper recessedportion can be increased. Moreover, both the attachment hole of thestrap for carrying on the shoulder and the fixing hole for thewall-hanging are provided at positions which do not protrude from theside area in a planar view, and thus, the sizes of the main body housingand the charger can be decreased while respective strength is secured.

According to a sixth embodiment, in the first embodiment, hook portionsand regulating portions that are used for wall mounting may be providedin four corners of the bottom surface. Recessed hook portions may beprovided in a pair of upper right and left hook portions. Hook convexportions provided on the wall surface side may be configured to behooked over the recessed hook portions such that displacement of themain body housing is regulated in downward and right-left directionswith respect to the wall surface and in a direction away from the wallsurface. And, the regulating portions may be provided on the right andleft sides in pairs and positioned below an engaging convex portionprovided on the wall surface side, and the engaging convex portion mayfunction as the regulating member.

According to the sixth embodiment, the charger is mounted on the wallsurface in the state where the positional deviation in both the up andthe down directions (attachment and detachment directions of the batterypack) is regulated. Accordingly, when the battery pack slides toward thelower portion with respect to the battery attachment portion and isattached to the charger in the wall-hanging state, the user does notneed to press the charger with a hand so that the charger is notdisplaced downward, and if the user slides the battery pack whilegrasping the battery pack with one hand, it is possible to rapidly andsimply attach the battery pack to the battery attachment portion.Moreover, conversely, when the battery pack is detached from the batteryattachment portion, it is sufficient if the user slides the battery packto the upper portion while grasping the battery pack with one hand, andthe user does not need to press the charger with the other hand so thatthe charger itself is not displaced.

In this way, the user does not need to press the charger so that thecharger does not move, and if the user vertically slides the batterypack while grasping the battery pack with one hand, the battery pack canbe attached to or detached from the battery attachment portion, andthus, usability (operability) of the charger can be increased.

In addition, since the displacement in the up-down and right-leftdirections of the charger and the displacement of the charger in thedirection separated from the wall surface are regulated, even when aperson carelessly comes into contact with the charger or the like, thepositional deviation is assuredly prevented.

According to a seventh embodiment, in the sixth embodiment, in the lowerregulating portion, the upper surface may be provided to beperpendicular to the wall surface or to be inclined in a direction at anacute angle in which a tip side is upwardly displaced.

According to the seventh embodiment, the engagement state to the upperportion of the regulation portion with respect to the engagement convexportion is securely maintained, and the displacement in the detachmentdirection of the charger is regulated. Thus, usability of the chargercan be more assuredly increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view when a charger according to anembodiment is viewed from an obliquely upper right side.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view when the charger according to anembodiment is viewed in an arrow (II) direction of FIG. 1 and the rearsurface side of the charger is viewed from an obliquely upper left side.

FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view when the charger according to anembodiment is viewed in an arrow (III) direction of FIG. 1 and the rearsurface side of the charger is viewed from an obliquely upper rightside.

FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view when the charger according to anembodiment is viewed in an arrow (IV) direction of FIG. 1 and the rearsurface side of the charger is viewed from an obliquely upper side.

FIG. 5 is an overall plan view of the charger according to anembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a slide attachment type battery pack.

FIG. 7 is an overall perspective view of a chargeable type electricplane.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a side area in a planar view of thecharger according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a recessed portion on a rear surfaceside and a right end of a main body housing.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view when the charger according to anembodiment is flipped upside down and the bottom surface side isdirected upward.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view when the charger mounted in a wall-hangingstate is viewed from the right surface side.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the charger in a state where a strap forcarrying on the shoulder is attached.

FIG. 13 is an overall perspective view when the charger according to anembodiment is viewed from an obliquely upper right side. This figureshows a state where a terminal cover in a first left-end batteryattachment portion is disassembled.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view when a lower divided housing is viewedfrom an obliquely upper right side in a state where an upper dividedhousing of the charger according to the present embodiment is detached.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the lower divided housing in a state where theupper divided housing of the charger according to an embodiment isdetached.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line (XVI)-(XVI) of FIG.15 and is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a longitudinaldirection of the lower divided housing.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line (XVII-XVII) of FIG.5. This figure is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the charger,and is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first operation displayportion.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of the upper divided housing. This figure showsthe upper divided housing of a single unit state in a disassembled statewhere terminal covers of first to fourth battery attachment portions aredetached.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view when the terminal cover detached from thebattery attachment portion is viewed from the lower surface side. Thisfigure shows an assembled terminal cover in which a compression springis temporarily fixed.

FIG. 20 is a view showing an assembly procedure of the terminal cover,and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the first battery attachmentportion. This figure shows a state just before the terminal cover isassembled on a cover support seat portion of the first batteryattachment portion.

FIG. 21 is a view showing the assembly procedure of the terminal cover,and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the first battery attachmentportion. This figure shows a state where insertion of a support bossportion of the terminal cover into a groove hole starts.

FIG. 22 is a view showing the assembly procedure of the terminal cover,and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the first battery attachmentportion. The figure shows when a front portion of the compression springis received and delivered from a temporarily fixed rib of the terminalcover to a spring receiving rib of the upper divided housing.

FIG. 23 is a view showing the assembly procedure of the terminal cover,and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the first battery attachmentportion. The figure shows an assembly completion state in which thefront portion of the compression spring is completely received anddelivered to the spring receiving rib of the upper divided housing andin which fixing screws are completely fastened.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line (XXIV)-(XXIV) of FIG.16, and a longitudinal cross-sectional view when the front side of thecharger is positioned downward.

FIG. 25 is a view showing a second embodiment of the wall-hangingstructure of the charger, and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of thecharger. The figure shows a state where a lower leg is floated from awall surface and a hook convex portion is inserted into an upper leg.

FIG. 26 is a view showing the second embodiment of the wall-hangingstructure of the charger, and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of thecharger. The figure shows a state where the charger is displaced to thelower side and the hook convex portion is hooked to the upper leg.

FIG. 27 is a view showing the second embodiment of the wall-hangingstructure of the charger, and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of thecharger. The figure shows the wall-hanging state in which the lower legabuts the wall surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in the presentembodiment, a four-port type charger 10 by which four battery packs B toB can be attached and charged at one time is exemplified. The batterypack B (secondary battery) shown in FIG. 6 can be charged by the charger10.

The battery pack B is a slide attachment type lithium ion battery inwhich a plurality of battery cells Bb to Bb are housed in a battery caseBa, and as shown in FIG. 7, is used as a power source of a chargeabletype electric tool T such as an electric plane. The battery pack B canbe attached to the chargeable type electric tool T by sliding thebattery pack downward with respect to a battery attachment portion Taprovided on a rear portion of the chargeable type electric tool T, andcan be detached from the chargeable type electric tool T by sliding thebattery pack upward. The detachment of the battery pack B from thebattery attachment portion Ta is performed by sliding a lock-releasinglever Bc provided on the upper surface by a fingertip and by releasingthe engaging state with respect to the battery attachment portion Ta.

As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of right and left slide rails Bd and Bd forslide attachment is provided on an attachment surface (lower surface ofFIG. 6) of the battery pack B. Positive and negative connection terminalportions Bf and Bf and a communication connector Be for the charger or atool are disposed between both slide rails Bd and Bd.

As shown in FIG. 1, battery attachment portions 11 to 14 which includefour ports are disposed on the upper surface of the charger 10 inparallel in a right-left direction. Each of the pairs of right and leftreceiving rail portions 11 a and 11 a to 14 a and 14 a is provided oneach of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14. When the battery packB slides from the rear surface side to the front surface side withrespect to each of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14 in a statewhere the slide rails Bd, Bd are engaged with respect to each of theright and left receiving rail portions 11 a and 11 a to 14 a and 14 a,the battery pack B can be attached, and when the battery pack B slidesin the opposite direction, the battery pack can be detached. The detailsof each of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14 will be describedbelow.

Various methods with respect to the four-port type charger 10 of thepresent embodiment are performed. Hereinafter, this will be sequentiallydescribed. First, the charger 10 includes a main body housing 20 thathas a rectangular shape in a planar view as shown in FIG. 5. Inaddition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the main body housing 20 has atwo-piece structure in which the main body housing is divided into twoin the height direction, and in which an upper divided housing 21positioned at the upper portion of the main body housing and a lowerdivided housing 22 positioned at the lower portion of the main bodyhousing are abutted against each other. In the drawings, a referencenumeral J is assigned to an abutting surface (joining surface) betweenthe upper divided housing 21 and the lower divided housing 22.

A recessed portion 23 is provided on the rear-surface-side right end ofthe main body housing 20. And, the recessed portion includes cut-offcorners, and it is recessed to both the rear surface and the rightsurface and has an approximately rectangular shape in a planar view. Asshown in FIGS. 5 and 8 in which the charger 10 is shown in a planarview, when a side area S in a planar view is considered, which issurrounded by a line (an envelope curve and a line passing through thevicinity of the joining surface J in the present embodiment) passingthrough portions which protrude furthest to each side surface of a frontsurface 20F, a rear surface 20B, a right surface 20R, and a left surface20L of the main body housing 20, the recessed portion 23 is providedinside the side area S in a planar view. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and9, the recessed portion 23 is provided over the entire area (the entireheight H) in a height direction of the main body housing 20.Accordingly, the recessed portion 23 is provided to be open not onlytoward the rear side and the right side but also toward the upper sideand the lower side. A power source cord 24 is drawn out from the innerportion of the recessed portion 23. The power source cord 24 can bedrawn out from the inner portion of the recessed portion 23 to any oneof the rear side or the right side, and as shown in FIG. 9, can be alsodrawn out to the upper side and the lower side.

In this way, since the power source cord 24 is drawn out from the innerportion of the recessed portion 23 which is recessed to the inside fromthe side area S in a planar view of the main body housing 20, when therear surface of the charger 10 is mounted to abut a wall or the rightsurface is mounted to abut a wall, the rear surface or the right surfacecan be mounted to closely abut the wall without being obstructed by thepower source cord 24. In addition, also in the situation where both therear surface and the right surface of the charger 10 are mounted tosimultaneously abut a corner portion of a wall, as shown in FIG. 9, thepower source cord 24 can be drawn out from the recessed portion 23 tothe upper side or the lower side. Accordingly, also in this case, thecharger 10 can be mounted to closely abut the corner portion of the wallwithout being obstructed by the power source cord 24.

Moreover, although it is shown in only FIG. 9, a cord holding portion 32for holding the power source cord 24 in place is provided on the rightsurface of the main body housing 20. The cord holding portion 32 isindented towards the inside from the side area S in a planar view. Ahooking claw portion 32 a is provided on the center of the cord holdingportion 32. As shown in FIG. 9 by a two-dot chain line, the vicinity ofan insertion plug 24 a of the power source cord 24 is inserted into thecord holding portion 32 and is hooked by the hooking claw portion 32 a,and thus, the insertion plug 24 a can be held on the right portion ofthe main body housing 20. Accordingly, when the charger 10 is carried orthe like, the charger 10 can be carried in a state where the insertionplug 24 a is held on the right portion of the main body housing 20without the power source cord 24 swinging, and when the charger is usedthe next time, the insertion plug 24 a can be rapidly inserted into andconnected to a socket.

According to the above-described configuration, the recessed portion 23is provided on the-rear-surface right corner of the main body housing 20over the entire area in the height direction. The recessed portion 23 iscut off from the-rear-surface right corner of the side area S in aplanar view of the main body housing 20, and is indented in arectangular shape inside the side area S. The recessed portion 23 isprovided to be open in at least two directions (four directionsincluding up and down directions in the present embodiment) such as therear surface side and the right side. The power source cord 24 is drawnout from the inner portion of the recessed portion 23.

Accordingly, the power source cord 24 is led out in at least twodirections (four directions including up and down directions in thepresent embodiment) such as the rear surface side and the right sidefrom the inner portion of the recessed portion 23 and the power sourcecord can be wired. Therefore, for example, the charger 10 can be mountedin the state where the rear surface of the main body housing 20 closelyabuts the wall surface without being obstructed by the power source cord24 or in the state where the right surface closely abuts the wallsurface.

Even when the charger 10 is mounted in a state where the main bodyhousing 20 closely abuts the wall surface without a gap, since thecharger is not obstructed by the power source cord 24, a mounting spaceof the charger 10 can be made more compact (the charger can be mountedeven in a narrow space).

Moreover, since the exemplified recessed portion 23 is formed over theentire area in the height direction of the main body housing 20, thepower source cord 24 can be drawn to the upper portion or to the lowerportion (bottom surface 27 side) and be connected to the socket withoutprotruding from the side area S in a planar view of the main bodyhousing 20. Accordingly, the charger 10 can be mounted in the statewhere both the rear surface and the right surface of the main bodyhousing 20 closely abut the corner portion of the wall surface withoutbeing obstructed by the power source cord 24. In this regard, themounting space of the charger 10 can be made more compact, and usabilityof the charger 10 can be further increased.

Various modifications can be applied to the above-describedconfiguration. For example, with respect to the position at which therecessed portion 23 is provided, the recessed portion may be provided atthe-rear-surface left corner instead of the exemplified rear-surfaceright corner, or the position of the recessed portion is not limited toa corner and the recessed portion may be provided at the center of theright and left surfaces or at the center of the rear surface. Even whenthe recessed portion is provided at any position and any surface of foursurfaces of the front, rear, right, left surfaces of the main bodyhousing 20 abuts the wall surface and is mounted, the charger is notobstructed by the power source cord, and thus, the charger can bemounted in the state where the main body housing closely abuts the wallsurface without a gap.

In addition, the recessed portion 23 which is indented in a rectangularshape is exemplified. However, a recessed portion, which is inclined totwo side surfaces of the main body housing (the side area S in a planarview) orthogonal to each other and has a corner-chamfered shape, may beprovided.

Moreover, the recessed portion 23 which is provided over the entire areain the height direction of the main body housing 20 is exemplified.However, a recessed portion which is opened to only one side (one of theupper side or the lower side) in the height direction may be provided.For example, the recessed portion may be provided inside the side area Sin a planar view only in the lower divided housing 22, and the powersource cord may be drawn out from the recessed portion. In this case,the upper portion of the recessed portion is blocked by the corner ofthe upper divided housing. However, the power source cord is positionedtoward the bottom surface side and can be connected even when the cornerabuts the wall surface corner portion, and thus, similarly, the mountingspace can be made compact.

The above-described configuration can be understood by the followingfirst to fourth related embodiments.

According to the first related embodiment, there is provided a chargerin which a recessed portion which is recessed inside a side area in aplanar view of a main body housing is provided on a side portion of themain body housing and a power source cord is drawn out from the recessedportion, in which the recessed portion is open in at least twodirections different from each other, and the direction in which thepower source cord is drawn out from the plane side surface area can bechanged to any one of at least two directions.

According to the first related embodiment, since the power source cordis drawn out from the recessed portion, when any one of two sidesurfaces abuts a wall (to a wall) without a gap and is mounted, thepower source cord can be drawn out from the other side surface side.Accordingly, one side surface closely abuts the wall and the charger canbe mounted onto the wall without being obstructed by the power sourcecord.

Moreover, the charger can be mounted in the state where the chargerabuts the wall without being obstructed by the power source cord, andthus, the mounting space of the charger can be made compact.

According to the second related embodiment, in the first relatedembodiment, the recessed portion is provided on a corner of two sidesurfaces of the main body housing intersecting each other.

According to the second related embodiment, the recessed portion isprovided on two side surfaces intersecting each other, for example, onan intersection portion (corner) between the rear surface and the rightsurface, and thus, an electric cord can be drawn out to any one of therear side or the right side. Accordingly, when the charger is mounted inthe state where the rear surface of the main body housing abuts the wallsurface, the power source cord can be drawn out to the right side fromthe recessed portion, and when the charger is mounted in the state wherethe right surface abuts the wall surface, the power source cord can bedrawn out to the rear side from the recessed portion. In any case, themain body housing can be mounted such that it abuts the wall surfacewithout being obstructed by the power source cord.

According to the third related embodiment, in the first or secondrelated embodiment, the recessed portion is open to the upper side inthe height direction of the main body housing.

According to the third related embodiment, the power source cord can bedrawn out to the upper side from the recessed portion. Accordingly, thecharger can be mounted in a state where the charger closely abuts thecorner portion of the wall without being obstructed by the power sourcecord, for example, in a state where the rear surface and the rightsurface of the main body housing abut the wall surface.

According to the fourth related embodiment, in any one of the first tothird related embodiments, the recessed portion is provided over theentire area in the height direction of the main body housing and is openin both directions of the up and down directions in the heightdirection.

According to the fourth related embodiment, since the recessed portionis provided over the entire area in the height direction, the powersource cord can be drawn out to any one of the upper side or the lowerside from the recessed portion. Accordingly, when two side surfaces (forexample, rear surface and right surface) of the main body housing abutthe wall together and the charger is mounted on the corner portion ofthe wall, the power source cord can be drawn out from any one of theupper side and the lower side of the recessed portion and can beconnected to the power source socket. In this regard, the mounting spaceof the charger is compact and the handling of the power source cord isconvenient, and usability of the charger can be improved.

Next, the charger 10 according to the present embodiment is not limitedto the state where the charger is mounted onto a worktable. For example,as shown in FIG. 11, the charger can be mounted to have a wall-hangingstate. Moreover, the charger 10 according to the present embodiment canbe directly carried by hand, or, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, astrap ST is put on a shoulder to carry the charger.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a pair of right and left wall-hanging fixingholes 30 and 30 and, similarly, a pair of right and left strapattachment holes 31 and 31 are provided on the rear surface of the mainbody housing 20. As shown in the drawings, the wall-hanging fixing holes30 and 30 and the strap attachment holes 31 and 31 are provided atpositions further inside from the side area S in a planar view and donot protrude to the sides.

Recessed portions 25 and 26, which are formed vertically in two steps,are provided to be paired in right and left pairs on the rear surface ofthe main body housing 20 and inside the side area S in a planar view.The upper recessed portions 25 and 25 positioned at the upper portion ofthe main body housing are provided on the upper divided housing 21, andthe lower recessed portion 26 and 26 positioned at the lower portion ofthe main body housing are provided on the lower divided housing 22. Thestrap attachment hole 31 is provided on each of the bottom edge portions25 a and 25 a of the upper recessed portions 25 and 25 in a state wherethe hole 31 penetrates the edge portion 25 a. As shown in FIG. 5, eachof the right and left strap attachment holes 31 and 31 is formed in along groove hole shape which is slightly longer in a front-reardirection (up-down direction in FIG. 5).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the right and left strap attachmentholes 31 and 31 are disposed to be slightly deviated to a side (theouter side in the right-left direction) and separated from each otherfrom the center in the right-left direction of the bottom edge portion25 a. Accordingly, the left strap attachment hole 31 is disposed to bedeviated to the left end of the bottom edge portion 25 a of the upperrecessed portion 25, and the right strap attachment hole 31 is disposedto be deviated to the right end of the bottom edge portion 25 a of theupper recessed portion 25. In this way, since the right and left strapattachment holes 31 and 31 are disposed to be separated from each otherwith respect to the upper recessed portion 25, as shown in FIG. 12, inthe state where the strap ST is hung between both strap attachment holes31 and 31, the strap ST does not easily abut the inner ends of bothupper recessed portions 25 and 25 (the left end of the right upperrecessed portion 25 and the right end of the left upper recessed portion25). The strap ST is hung between the right and left strap attachmentholes 31 and 31 provided in this way, and thus, a user puts the strap onhis or her shoulder and can carry the charger 10.

According to the charger 10 of the present embodiment configured asdescribed, since the strap attachment holes 31 and 31 for attaching thestrap ST for carrying on the shoulder are provided in the state wherethe holes do not protrude to the side portions of the main body housing20, when the charger 10 is accidentally hit by other members or when thecharger 10 is accidentally dropped, damage thereto is prevented, andthus, the durability of the charger 10 can be increased.

In addition, since the strap attachment holes 31 and 31 are provided onthe bottom portions 25 a and 25 a of the upper recessed portions 25 and25 provided on the rear surface of the main body housing 20, if thestrap ST is detached, the charger can be mounted in the state where therear surface of the main body housing 20 closely abuts the wall withouta gap, and accordingly, the mounting space can be made compact.

Moreover, the right and left strap attachment holes 31 and 31 aredisposed to be deviated to the side and separated from each other withrespect to the center in the right and left width direction of thebottom edge portions 25 a and 25 a. Accordingly, in the state where thestrap ST attached to both strap attachment holes 31 and 31 is hung on ashoulder, the strap ST is inclined in a mountain shape toward theshoulder and does not easily come into contact with the wall portionsinside the upper recessed portions 25 and 25, the strap ST can beattached with good right and left balance, and damage due to rubbing ofthe strap ST to the main body housing 20 (the inner wall portion of theupper recessed portion 25) can be reduced.

In addition, since the bottom edge portions 25 a and 25 a for attachingthe strap ST do not have the upper and lower two-piece structures whichare butted to each other at the joining surface J, and are configured tobe integrally provided on the upper divided housing 21 side, even whenthe main body housing 20 is divided into the upper divided housing 21and the lower divided housing 22, the bottom edge portions 25 a and 25 aare not divided into two in the plate thickness direction. Accordingly,the plate thickness can be thinned while securing strength of the bottomedge portions 25 a and 25 a, and since the bottom edge portions are notdivided into two, misalignment of the strap attachment holes 31 and 31does not occur.

Various modifications can be applied to the exemplified embodiment. Forexample, the configuration in which the strap attachment holes 31 and 31are provided on the rear surface side of the main body housing 20 isexemplified. However, the strap attachment holes may be provided on theright and left portions.

In addition, the configuration in which the pair of right and left strapattachment holes 31 and 31 is provided is exemplified. However, aconfiguration in which the strap is attached to one strap attachmenthole to be hung on a shoulder may be adopted.

In addition, the configuration is exemplified in which the right andleft strap attachment holes 31 and 31 are disposed to be deviated to theside separated from each other with respect to each of the bottom edgeportions 25 a and 25 a. A configuration may be adopted in which each ofthe right and left strap attachment holes is disposed at the center inthe right and left width direction of the bottom edge portions 25 a and25 a.

Moreover, each of the strap attachment holes 31 and 31 is not limited tothe exemplified long groove hole, and may be a circular through-hole.

In addition, a configuration which has both the function of the fixingholes 30 and 30 for being mounted on the worktable and the function ofthe strap attachment hole may be adopted.

The above-described configurations can be understood by the followingfifth to seventh related embodiments.

According to the fifth related embodiment, there is provided a chargerin which a strap for carrying on the shoulder can be attached and astrap attachment hole is provided inside a side area in a planar view ofa main body housing.

According to the fifth related embodiment, since the attachment hole forattaching the strap is provided in a state where the hole does notprotrude to the side portion of the main body housing, when the chargeris accidentally hit by other members, or when the charger 10accidentally drops or the like, durability of the main body housing canbe increased.

Moreover, since the attachment hole for attaching the strap is providedin a state where the hole does not protrude to the side portion of themain body housing, the charger can be mounted in a state where the sideportion of the main body housing closely abuts a wall without a gap, andthus, a mounting space can be made compact.

According to the sixth related embodiment, in the fifth relatedembodiment, a pair of right and left strap attachment holes areprovided, and both attachment holes are provided to penetrate a bottomedge portion of a recessed portion which is recessed to the inside fromthe side area in a planar view. Further, both attachment holes areprovided to be deviated to a side separated from each other with respectto a center in a right-left direction of the bottom edge portion in aplanar view.

According to the sixth related embodiment, when one end side and theother end side of the strap are hooked to the right and left strapattachment holes, the strap hung to be inclined to the side approachingeach other does not easily come into contact with a wall portion insidethe recessed portion, and thus, the strap can be attached with goodright and left balance.

According to the seventh related embodiment, in the sixth relatedembodiment, the main body housing has a two-piece structure in which alower divided housing provided on an mounting surface side and an upperdivided housing having a battery pack attachment portion are butted toeach other at a joining surface along the mounting surface, and thebottom edge portion is not provided on the joining surface and isprovided in one of the lower divided housing and the upper dividedhousing.

According to the seventh related embodiment, since the joining surfaceis not set to the bottom edge portion in which the strap attachment holeis provided, strength of the bottom edge portion is easily secured, andvertical misalignment with respect to the strap attachment holes doesnot occur.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the position in the right-left directionof each of the fixing holes 30 and 30 is disposed to be coincident with(be coaxial with) the lower portion of each of the right and left strapattachment holes 31 and 31. Accordingly, in FIG. 5, the fixing holes 30and 30 of the lower portion can be seen via the right and left strapattachment holes 31 and 31.

The right and left fixing holes 30 and 30 are also disposed to beslightly deviated to the side (the outer side in the right-leftdirection) separated from each other from the center in the right-leftdirection of the bottom edge portions 26 a and 26 a of the lowerrecessed portions 26 and 26. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the leftfixing hole 30 is disposed to be deviated to the left end of the bottomedge portion 26 a of the lower recessed portion 26, and the right fixinghole 30 is disposed to be deviated to the right end of the bottom edgeportion 26 a of the lower recessed portion 26.

Each of the right and left fixing holes 30 and 30 is provided tovertically penetrate the bottom edge portion 26 a. Therefore, bothfixing holes 30 and 30 are provided to be open to the bottom surface 27side of the main body housing 20 on the bottom surface side of the lowerdivided housing 22. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the main body housing20 is viewed from the bottom surface 27 side. Legs 27 b to 27 b areprovided on four corners of the bottom surface 27 of the main bodyhousing 20. An anti-slipping rubber plate 27 h is attached to each leg27 b. The fixing holes 30 are open to the inner sides of two right andleft legs 27 b and 27 b of the rear surface side. Hook portions 27 e and27 e having a tumbler-shaped hole shape are provided on the rear surfaceside (the upper side in FIG. 10) of two right and left legs 27 b and 27b of the front surface side. As shown in FIG. 11, when the charger 10 ismounted to be in a wall-hanging state, the bottom surface 27 opposes awall surface W, engagement convex portions 28 and 28 provided on thewall surface are hooked to both hook portions 27 e and 27 e, fixingscrews 29 and 29 are inserted into both fixing holes 30 and 30 in thehooked state and are fastened to the wall surface W, and thus, thecharger 10 can be fixed in a wall-hanging state. Moreover, when thecharger is mounted to be in a wall-hanging state as shown in thefigures, the rubber plate 27 h of each leg 27 b has been detached inadvance.

In this case, since the strap attachment hole 31 is disposed to becoaxial with the fixing hole 30, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, ascrewdriver D for fastening a screw can be inserted into the strapattachment hole 31 via the upper recessed portion 25 to fasten thefixing screw 29, and thus, the fastening operation can be easilyperformed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the bottom surface 27 of the main body housing 20becomes a case bottom portion of the main body housing 20 when thecharger 10 is disposed and functions as a seat which supports variouscharger function parts (device bodies) which are installed in the innerportion of the main body housing 20. The charger function parts aresupported by a bottom center portion 271 which is set to anapproximately center area of the bottom surface. Meanwhile, thesurrounding of the bottom center portion 271 including the circumferenceof the bottom surface 27 is set to bottom circumferential portions 272to 272. In the bottom surface 27 in which the area is divided in thisway, finger hooks 27 a to 27 a are provided on all bottomcircumferential portions 272 to 272 which become two sides or more amongfour sides configuring the bottom circumferential portions 272 to 272.

That is, the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a are provided over the entirecircumference of the bottom circumferential portions 272 to 272 whichare set as the periphery along four of front, rear, right, and leftsides in the bottom surface 27. Compared to the shape which is set forthe bottom center portion 271 set at the approximately center area, thefinger hooks 27 a to 27 a are formed to protrude to the outside withrespect to the bottom circumferential portions 272 to 272. Specifically,the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a are formed one step higher than the bottomcenter portion 271. In this way, compared to the bottom center portion271, due to the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a, efficiency in the hooking offingers of the user with respect to the entire circumference of foursides configuring the bottom circumferential portions 272 to 272 isincreased. That is, a fingertip of the user is hooked to the fingerhooks 27 a to 27 a, the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a function as ananti-slipping portion, and thus, the charger 10 can be easily carried.In addition, the fingertip is hooked to the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a,and thus, the charger 10 can be securely carried with one hand.

Since the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a are provided over the entirecircumference in the surrounding of the bottom surface 27, the fingertipof the user is hooked to any one of the front surface side, the rearsurface side, or the right and left portion sides of the main bodyhousing 20, and the charger 10 can be firmly held by the user.Accordingly, even when the user is a left-handed person or aright-handed person, the charger 10 can be easily carried with adominant hand. The finger hook 27 a is provided along all four sides ofthe bottom surface 27. In addition, the finger hook 27 a may be providedon two sides in which one of the front surface side and the rear surfaceside and one of the right and left portions intersect each other, andthus, similar effects can be obtained.

A bottom surface recessed portion 27 c which is one step lower than thefinger hook is provided on the bottom center portion 271 which is setinside the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a. Since the space of the bottomsurface recessed portion 27 c is sufficient if a space sufficient tohook the finger of the user to the finger hook 27 a is secured,preferably, the space of the bottom surface recessed portion is set to anarrow area as possible. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10 by a two-dotchain line, a center step portion 27 d having the same height as thefinger hooks 27 a to 27 a may be provided on the center of thebottom-surface recessed portion 27 c provided on the bottom centerportion 271. The center step portion 27 d is formed to protrude towardthe outside with respect to the main body housing 20. In this way, whenthe center step portion 27 d is provided on the bottom surface recessedportion 27 c, the recess range of the bottom surface recessed portion 27c can be decreased, and thus, the capacity of the inner portion of themain body housing 20 can be increased. That is, particularly, internalcapacity (depth) of the lower divided housing 22 of the main bodyhousing 20 can be increased. In this way, when the internal capacity ofthe main body housing 20 is increased by the accommodation expansionshape of the lower divided housing 22, for example, as described below,a degree of freedom of an electronic part layout on a control substrate40 accommodated in the lower divided housing 22 can be increased. Thatis, the internal capacity of the main body housing 20 is expanded, andthus, the device body mounted in the inner portion of the main bodyhousing 20 can be advantageously mounted.

According to the charger 10 configured as described above, since thefinger hooks 27 a to 27 a are provided on four sides configuring thebottom circumferential portion 272 of the bottom surface 27, compared tothe bottom center portion 271 of the bottom surface 27, efficiency inthe hooking of the fingers of the user can be increased. Accordingly,when the user carries the charger 10, the user can easily hold thecharger 10 in any one of all circumferential directions, the charger 10can be firmly held by a hand through various holding methods when thecharger 10 is carried, and convenience when the charger is carried canbe improved. That is, even when the user simply holds the end edgeportion of the charger 10 with a hand, a finger can be hooked to thefinger hook 27 a provided in the vicinity of the end edge of the charger10, and thus, the charger 10 can be firmly held. Moreover, even when theuser carries the charger 10 while holding the charger under his or herarm, fingers can be hooked to the finger hook 27 a provided in thevicinity of the end edge of the charger 10, and the charger 10 can befirmly held. In addition, according to the above-described charger 10,compared to the bottom center portion 271, in the finger hooks 27 a to27 a, efficiency in the hooking of fingers of the user is increased, andthe shape of the bottom circumferential portion 272 is set to furtherprotrude to the outside than the set shape of the bottom center portion271. Thus, the finger hooks 27 a to 27 a can be simply and inexpensivelyprovided.

Moreover, various modifications can be applied to the exemplifiedembodiment. For example, the exemplified finger hooks 27 a to 27 a areprovided on four sides of the entire circumference configuring thebottom circumferential portion 272 of the bottom surface 27. However,finger hooks according to the following eighth to eleventh relatedembodiments may be provided on at least two sides of four sides of theentire circumference of the bottom circumferential portion. In thefinger hooks according to the following eighth to eleventh relatedembodiments, an appropriate configuration may be selected if theconfiguration increases the efficiency in the hooking of fingers of theuser. That is, in the finger hooks according to following eighth toeleventh related embodiments, the finger hooks may be a hook in whichthe efficiency in the hooking of fingers is increased by the exemplifiedstructure, may be a hook in which the efficiency in the hooking offingers is increased by a shape such as a finer projection, and may be ahook in which the efficiency in the hooking of fingers is increased by amaterial such as an elastic material. More specifically, in the fingerhooks according to following eighth to eleventh related embodiments, aplurality of anti-slipping fine projections may be formed, oranti-slipping processing such as a knurling may be performed, or anelastic member such as anti-slipping rubber sheet may be adhered. Evenwhen the finger hook is configured in this way, the ease with which thecharger can be carried can be further improved.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the bottom centerportion 271 may be formed as the bottom surface recessed portion 27 c,or may be formed as the center step portion 27 d, and an appropriateshape can be selected. However, when the bottom center portion 271 isformed as the center step portion 27 d, since the internal capacity(depth) of the lower divided housing 22 can be increased and theinternal capacity of the main body housing 20 can be expanded, thelayout of the control substrate or the like accommodated in the mainbody housing 20 is advantageously performed.

The above-described configuration can be understood by the followingeighth to eleventh related embodiments.

According to the eighth related embodiment, there is provided a chargerwhich is configured to charge a chargeable type battery and has anexterior case configuring the exterior of the charger, in which an areaof a bottom surface configuring a case bottom portion of the exteriorcase when the charger is disposed is divided into a bottom centerportion supporting a device body mounted in the inner portion of theexterior case and a bottom circumferential portion set as thesurrounding of the bottom center portion, and a finger hook whichincreases efficiency in hooking of fingers of a user compared to thebottom center portion is provided on the bottom circumferential portionsof at least two sides among four sides configuring the bottomcircumferential portions. According to the charger according to theeighth embodiment, since the finger hook is provided on the bottomcircumferential portions of at least two sides among four sidesconfiguring the bottom circumferential portion of the bottom surface,the efficiency in the hooking of fingers of the user can be increasedcompared to the bottom center portion of the bottom surface.Accordingly, when the user carries the charger, since the user caneasily hold the charger from at least two directions, the charger can befirmly held by a hand through various holding methods when the chargeris carried, and convenience when the charger is carried can be improved.In addition, as the carrying aspect of the charger, there is an aspectin which the end of the charger is simply held by a hand to carry, andin which the charger is held under the arm of a user to carry, or thelike.

According to the ninth related embodiment, in the eighth relatedembodiment, in the finger hook, the shape of the bottom circumferentialportion is configured to protrude further to the outside than the setshape of the bottom center portion, and the efficiency in the hooking offingers of the user is increased compared to the bottom center portion.According to the charger of the ninth embodiment, in the finger hooks,the efficiency in the hooking of fingers of the user is increasedcompared to the bottom center portion, and the shape of the bottomcircumference portion is configured to protrude further to the outsidethan the set shape of the bottom center portion. Thus, the finger hookscan be simply and inexpensively provided.

According to the charger of the tenth related embodiment, in the eighthor ninth related embodiment, the finger hook is provided over four sidesconfiguring the entire circumference of the bottom circumferentialportion. According to the charger of the tenth embodiment, since thefinger hook is provided over four sides configuring the entirecircumference of the bottom circumferential portion, when the usercarries the charger, the user can hold the charger in any direction ofthe all circumferential directions. Accordingly, with respect to variouscarrying aspects, the charger is held by a hand in any direction, andthus, convenience at the time of carrying can be further improved.

According to the eleventh related embodiment, in any one of the eighthto tenth embodiments, an accommodation expansion shape which protrudestoward the outside of the exterior case and expands an internal capacityof the exterior case is provided on the bottom center portion. Accordingto the charger of the eleventh embodiment, since the accommodationexpansion shape protruding toward the outside of the exterior case isprovided on the bottom center portion, the internal capacity of theexterior case can be expanded. Accordingly, the internal capacity of theexterior case is expanded, and thus, it is possible to advantageouslyinstall the device body which is mounted in the inner portion of theexterior case.

According to the charger of the eighth related embodiment, with respectto various carrying aspects, the charger is firmly held by a hand in atleast two directions, and thus, convenience at the time of carrying canbe improved.

According to the charger of the ninth related embodiment, the fingerhook can be simply and inexpensively provided.

According to the charger of the tenth related embodiment, with respectto various carrying aspects, the charger is held by a hand in anydirection, and the convenience at the time of carrying being able to befurther improved.

According to the charger of the eleventh related embodiment, theinternal capacity of the exterior case is expanded, and thus, it ispossible to advantageously install the device body which is mounted inthe inner portion of the exterior case.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, four battery attachment portions 11 to 14which are disposed to be able to be exposed to the outside are providedon a charger main body 100 configuring the charger 10. The charger mainbody 100 corresponds to a mounting device main body of the followingtwelfth to sixteenth related embodiments, and is configured to be ableto charge the battery pack B. Moreover, the four battery attachmentportions 11 to 14 correspond to a battery mounting structure of thefollowing twelfth to sixteenth related embodiments. The four batteryattachment portions 11 to 14 have the same configuration as one anotherwith respect to mechanical and electrical attachment to the battery packB. Hereinafter, as shown in a disassembled state in FIG. 13, the firstleft-end battery attachment portion 11 will be described. Positive andnegative connection terminals 11 b and 11 b and a signal transmissionand reception connector 11 d are disposed between the receiving railportions 11 a and 11 a provided on the right and the left of the firstbattery attachment portion 11. The positive and negative connectionterminals 11 b and 11 b, and the signal transmission and receptionconnector 11 d function as a charger terminal which is electricallyconnected so as to contribute to the charging of the battery pack B.

A terminal cover mechanism 11A is provided outside the positive andnegative connection terminals 11 b and 11 b and the signal transmissionand reception connector 11 d. The terminal cover mechanism 11Asubstantially includes a terminal cover 11 c which is a cover member anda compression spring 11 e which is a biasing spring. The terminal cover11 c slides so that the position of the terminal cover is changedbetween both positions, that is, a covering position at which thepositive and negative connection terminals 11 b and 11 b and theconnector 11 d are covered, and an exposure position at which theconnection terminals 11 b and 11 b and the connector 11 d are exposed tothe outside to be connectable. The compression spring 11 e biases theterminal cover 11 c to slide the terminal cover in a direction of thecovering position. Moreover, the covering position of the terminal cover11 c is set to the illustrated rear surface side, and the exposureposition of the terminal cover 11 c is set to the illustrated frontsurface side. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, a biasing-direction end 11ea of the compression spring 11 e is set to the end of the compressionspring 11 e of the illustrated rear surface side. On the other hand, asupport-base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e is an end oppositeto the biasing-direction end 11 ea, and is set to the end of thecompression spring 11 e of the illustrated front surface side.

The terminal cover mechanism 11A corresponds to a cover mechanismaccording to the following twelfth to sixteenth related embodiments. Inthis way, in the terminal cover mechanism 11A, the connection terminals11 b and 11 b and the connector 11 d are covered by the terminal cover11 c, and thus, the exposure of the connection terminals 11 b and 11 band the connector 11 d to the outside is prevented and the connectionterminal and the connector can be protected from damage or the like. Inthis way, the terminal cover 11 c can slide in the front-rear directionwhile being biased in the direction (closing direction) in which thecover slides to the rear surface side by the compression springs 11 eand 11 e. Methods are also performed on an assembly structure of theterminal cover 11 c with respect to the first battery attachment portion11.

That is, the biasing direction end 11 ea of the compression spring 11 eis permanently supported by a bias receiving portion 11 cf provided onthe terminal cover 11 c. Moreover, the support base end 11 eb of thecompression spring 11 e is temporarily supported by a temporarily fixedrib 11 ed provided on the terminal cover 11 c. In addition, thepermanent support means a support in which the terminal cover 11 c issupported even after the assembly. Moreover, the temporary support meansa temporary support in which the terminal cover 11 c is not supportedafter the assembly. The temporarily fixed rib 11 cd corresponds to atemporarily receiving portion in the following twelfth to sixteenthrelated embodiments and is formed in one rib shape protruding toward theillustrated rear surface side. The temporarily fixed rib 11 cd is formedto temporarily support the support base end 11 eb of the compressionspring 11 e at the intermediate portion.

FIG. 19 shows the terminal cover 11 c which is detached from the firstbattery attachment portion 11 or before the assembly is performed. Onesupport boss portion lice is provided to protrude toward the lower sideat the approximately center of the lower surface (rear surface) of theterminal cover 11 c. A screw hole 11 ea is provided at the center of thesupport boss portion lice. A pair of spring receiving portions 11 cb and11 cb is provided on the right and left sides of the support bossportion 11 ce on the lower surface of the terminal cover 11 c.

The compression spring 11 e is accommodated in each of both springreceiving portions 11 cb and 11 cb. The rear portion side of thecompression spring 11 e is interposed between holding portions 11 ccprovided on the rear portion of the spring receiving portion 11 cb, andthe rear portion side is in a state of being held so as not to bedisplaced in the extension and contraction directions (front-reardirection). The front portion side of the compression spring 11 e is ina state of abutting the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd provided on thefront portion of the spring receiving portion 11 cb. Accordingly, thefront portion side of each of both compression springs 11 e and 11 eabuts each temporarily fixed rib 11 cd in the state where the frontportion side can be displaced in the extension and contractiondirections. In this way, in the assembly state where two compressionsprings 11 e and 11 e are held (temporarily fixed) to the springreceiving portions 11 eb and 11 cb, the terminal cover 11 c is assembledon the first battery attachment portion 11.

FIG. 18 shows the state of the upper divided housing 21 before theassembly in which all the first to fourth battery attachment portions 11to 14 are detached. First to fourth pedestal portions 64 to 67corresponding to the first to fourth battery attachment portions 11 to14 are provided on the upper surface of the upper divided housing 21. Asshown in the drawings, since the first to fourth pedestal portions 64 to67 have the same configuration as one another, hereinafter, the firstpedestal portion 64 of the left end will be described.

A rectangular window portion 43 a is provided at the center of the firstpedestal portion 64 corresponding to the first battery attachmentportion 11. As shown in other drawings, the connection terminals 11 band 11 b and the connector 11 d of a first terminal plate 43 protrude tothe upper side via the window portion 43 a. The support structures ofthe first to fourth terminal plates 43 to 46 will be described below. Aclosing stopper wall portion 60 is provided to protrude to the upperportion at the front side (the lower side in FIG. 18) of the windowportion 43 a. A pair of right and left spring receiving ribs 62 and 62is provided to protrude to the upper portion at the front side of theclosing stopper wall portion 60. The spring receiving rib 62 correspondsto a permanently receiving portion in the twelfth to sixteenth relatedembodiments, and permanently supports the support base end 11 eb of thecompression spring 11 e. Two spring receiving ribs 62 are set to bedisposed at both sides of one temporarily fixed rib 11 cd after theterminal cover 11 c is assembled. That is, as also shown in FIG. 13,each of both spring receiving ribs 62 and 62 is formed in a fork shapewhich has a slit at the center in the right-left direction. Arelationship between the spring receiving rib 62 and the temporarilyfixed rib 11 cd is set so that when the terminal cover mechanism 11A isassembled on the charger main body 100, the support base end of thecompression spring 11 e temporarily supported by the temporarily fixedrib 11 cd of the terminal cover 11 c is transferred from the abutmentstate of the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd to the abutment state of thespring receiving rib 62 according to the assembly movement of theterminal cover 11 c, and after the terminal cover 11 c is assembled, thesupport base end is permanently supported by the spring receiving rib62. Specifically, after the terminal cover 11 c is assembled, theposition of the support base end 11 eb permanently supported by thespring receiving rib 62 is positioned as illustrated further toward therear surface side compressing the compression spring 11 e compared tothe position of the support base end 11 eb temporarily supported by thetemporarily fixed rib 11 cd.

Moreover, as shown in the figures after FIG. 20, guide inclinationsurfaces 62 a and 62 a which descend to the rear side are provided onthe upper rear surfaces of both spring receiving ribs 62 and 62. Theguide inclination surfaces 62 a and 62 a are portions which are set totransfer starting portions of the spring receiving rib 62 when thesupport base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e is transferredfrom the abutment position of the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd to theabutment position of the spring receiving rib 62. That is, the guideinclination surfaces 62 a and 62 a have a function of guiding thesupport base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e toward thecompressed rear surface side according to the transfer of the supportbase end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e. Specifically, the guideinclination surfaces 62 a and 62 a have shapes which are inclined tosupport the support base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e in thecompressed direction of the compression spring 11 e. Moreover, after theterminal cover 11 c is assembled, the spring receiving ribs 62 and 62support the support base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e at theposition deviated from the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd to the rearsurface side.

In addition, apexes 62 b and 62 b of the guide inclination surfaces 62 aand 62 a are positioned to be slightly deviated from the position of thetemporarily fixed rib 11 cd after the terminal cover 11 c is connectedto the front surface side. Accordingly, when the abutment position ofthe support base end 11 eb is transferred from the temporarily fixed rib11 cd to the spring receiving rib 62, the transfer starts smoothly. Thatis, according to the disposition positions of the apexes 62 b and 62 band the inclination structures of the guide inclination surfaces 62 aand 62 a, even when the assembly movement of the terminal cover 11 c isperformed from just above to just below the cover, the abutment positionof the support base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e can betransferred from the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd to the spring receivingrib 62.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 18, one groove hole 63 is provided between theright and left spring receiving ribs 62 and 62. The groove hole 63extends from the portion between both spring receiving ribs 62 and 62 tothe rear side, and reaches an area in front of the closing stopper wallportion 60. The groove hole 63 has a width dimension through which thesupport boss portion lice of the terminal cover 11 c can be inserted,and is provided to penetrate in the thickness direction of the firstpedestal portion 64. As shown in FIG. 23, a fixing screw 61 is fastenedto the screw hole 11 ea of the support boss portion lice, which isinserted from above into the groove hole 63, from the lower portion, andthus, the terminal cover 11 c is in an assembled state so as to beslidably supported with a constant stroke in the front-rear direction onthe first pedestal portion 64.

FIGS. 20 to 23 show the assembly procedure of the terminal cover 11 cwith respect to the first battery attachment portion 11. As shown inFIG. 20, before the terminal cover 11 c is assembled, the terminal cover11 c is in an assembled state in which two compression springs 11 e and11 e are temporarily fixed to the lower surface of the terminal cover.After the terminal cover 11 c is set to the first pedestal portion 64,one fixing screw 61 is inserted from the lower portion of the groovehole 63 and is fastened to the screw hole 11 ea, and the assembly of theterminal cover 11 c is completed.

First, as shown in FIG. 21, the terminal cover 11 c is moved to coverthe first pedestal portion 64 while the support boss portion 11 ce isinserted into the groove hole 63 from the upper side. At this time,preferably, as shown in the drawings, each of the right and lefttemporarily fixed ribs 11 cd and 11 cd is moved from the rear sideposition which substantially is the closed position of the terminalcover with respect to the position of the terminal cover 11 c in thefront-near direction so that each temporarily fixed rib is inserted intothe slit of the spring receiving rib 62.

When the terminal cover 11 c is moved to the first pedestal portion 64,the support boss portion lice is inserted into the groove hole 63, andas shown in FIG. 21, each of the front ends of the right and leftcompression springs 11 e and 11 e is pressed to the guide inclinationsurface 62 a of the spring receiving rib 62.

When the terminal cover 11 c further moves to the first pedestal portion64 to be parallel with the lower portion in the state where each of thefront ends of the right and left compression springs 11 e and 11 e ispressed to the guide inclination surface 62 a of the spring receivingrib 62, as shown in FIG. 22, the front ends of both compression springs11 e and 11 e are slightly pressed in the contraction directions andseparated from the temporarily fixed ribs 11 cd and 11 cd, andtransferred to abut the rear surfaces of the spring receiving ribs 62and 62.

In this way, in the state where each of the front ends of bothcompression springs 11 e and 11 e is transferred from the temporarilyfixed rib 11 cd to the spring receiving rib 62, as shown in FIG. 23, theterminal cover 11 c is in a set state in which the terminal cover 11 cfurther moves to a position where approximately abuts the first pedestalportion 64. In this state, when the fixing screw 61 is fastened to thescrew hole 11 ca of the support boss portion lice, the assembly work ofthe terminal cover 11 c with respect to the first pedestal portion 64 iscompleted. In this step, the front end sides of the right and leftcompression springs 11 e and 11 e abut the spring receiving rib 62(first pedestal portion 64 side), and thus, biasing forces of thecompression springs 11 e and 11 e operate in a direction where theterminal cover 11 c slides to the closed side (rear side).

In this way, when the terminal cover 11 c, which is in the assembledstate in which each of two compression springs 11 e and 11 e istemporarily fixed with respect to the spring receiving portion 11 cb, isconnected to the first pedestal portion 64, the front end sides of bothtemporarily fixed compression springs 11 e and 11 e are automaticallytransferred to the spring receiving rib 62 side, and the biasing forcesoperate toward the side in which the terminal cover 11 c is closed.Accordingly, without performing troublesome work such as the movement ofthe front ends of the compression springs 11 e and 11 e during theassembly work using a specialized tool or the like and without guidingthe compression springs 11 e and 11 e by a jig or the like, an operatorcan rapidly and securely complete the assembly work by only moving theterminal cover 11 c. According to the assembly work, each of theterminal covers 12 c, 13 c, and 14 c can be rapidly and securelyassembled to each of the second to fourth pedestal portions 65 to 67.

The battery pack B slides from the rear surface side toward the frontsurface side in a slightly descending direction while the terminal cover11 c assembled as described above is pressed to be opened to the frontsurface side against the compression springs 11 e and 11 e, and thebattery pack B can be attached to the first battery attachment portion11. When the battery pack B is attached to the first battery attachmentportion 11, the battery pack B is mechanically fixed to the charger 10and electrically connected to the charger, and the battery pack can becharged. Moreover, a total of four battery packs B to B are attached tothe second battery attachment portion 12, the third battery attachmentportion 13, and the fourth battery attachment portion 14 positioned atthe right side of the first battery attachment portion 11, in additionto the first left-end battery attachment portion 11, and thus, fourbattery packs can be simultaneously charged.

According to the first battery attachment portion 11 configured asdescribed above, when the terminal cover mechanism 11A is assembled onthe charger main body 100, the support base end 11 eb of the compressionspring 11 e temporarily supported by the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd ofthe terminal cover 11 c is transferred from the abutment position of thetemporarily fixed rib 11 cd to the abutment position of the springreceiving rib 62 according to the assembly movement of the terminalcover 11 c, and the support base end can be permanently supported by thespring receiving rib 62 after the terminal cover 11 c is assembled.Accordingly, the terminal cover mechanism 11A can be assembled on thecharger main body 100 without using a jig or the like. Moreover,according to the above-described first battery attachment portion 11,compared to the position of the support base end 11 eb temporarilysupported by the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd, the position of thesupport base end 11 eb permanently supported by the spring receiving rib62 is further displaced to the rear surface side to which thecompression spring 11 e is compressed, and thus, the permanent supportof the support base end 11 eb by the spring receiving rib 62 after theterminal cover 11 c is assembled can be more securely performed. Inaddition, according to the above-described first battery attachmentportion 11, the guide inclination surfaces 62 a and 62 a guide thesupport base end 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e toward the rearsurface side, to which the compression spring is compressed, accordingto the transfer of the support base end 11 eb of the compression spring11 e, and thus, the transfer according to the assembly movement of theterminal cover 11 c can be more smoothly performed. Moreover, accordingto the above-described first battery attachment portion 11, since onetemporarily fixed rib 11 c temporarily supports the support base end 11eb at the intermediate portion, and the support base end is permanentlysupported by two spring receiving ribs 62 disposed at both sides of theone temporarily fixed rib 11 cd after the assembly, the support range ofthe permanent support is expanded and a stable support can be realizedwhile the structures of the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd and the springreceiving rib 62 can be combined with each other to be smaller.

In addition, various modifications can be applied to the exemplifiedembodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the charger10 including the structure, in which the battery pack B slides to beattached, is exemplified. However, the mounting device main bodyaccording to the following twelfth to sixteenth related embodiments isnot limited to this, and can be widely applied to a structural bodyincluding a structure in which the chargeable type battery slides to beattached.

Moreover, the configurations of the temporarily receiving portion andthe permanently receiving portion according to the following twelfth tosixteenth related embodiments are not limited to the example whichcombines the temporarily fixed rib 11 cd and the spring receiving rib 62of the above-described embodiment, and combinations of appropriateaspects can be selected. Moreover, appropriate methods may be applied tothe assembly movement of the terminal cover 11 c, and any movements maybe adopted as long as at least the abutment position of the support baseend 11 eb of the compression spring 11 e can be transferred from thetemporarily fixed rib 11 cd to the spring receiving rib 62.

The above-described configuration can be understood by the followingtwelfth to sixteenth related embodiments.

According to the twelfth related embodiment, there is provided a batterymounting structure which is disposed to be capable of being exposedoutside a mounting device main body in which a mounting side terminalelectrically connectable to a battery terminal of a chargeable typebattery mounted in a sliding manner is configured to be electricallyconnectable, in which a cover mechanism preventing exposure of themounting side terminal to the outside when the chargeable type batteryis not mounted is provided on the mounting device main body, the covermechanism includes: a cover member in which the cover member slidesbetween both positions of a covering position covering the mounting sideterminal and an exposure position exposing the mounting side terminal tothe outside to be connectable and the position of the cover member ischanged; and a biasing spring which slide-biases the cover member in thedirection which will bring about the covering position so that the covermember is positioned at the covering position, a biasing direction endof the biasing spring which becomes a biasing direction end of the covermember is permanently supported by the bias receiving portion providedon the cover member, a support base end of the biasing spring whichbecomes an end opposite the biasing direction end is temporarilysupported by a temporarily receiving portion provided on the covermember, a permanently receiving portion permanently supporting thesupport base end of the biasing spring is provided on the mountingdevice main body, a relationship between the permanently receivingportion and the temporarily receiving portion is set so that the supportbase end of the biasing spring temporarily supported by the temporarilyreceiving portion of the cover member is transferred from abutment ofthe temporarily receiving portion to abutment of the permanentlyreceiving portion according to an assembly movement of the cover memberwhen the cover mechanism is assembled on the mounting device main body,and the support base end is permanently supported by the permanentlyreceiving portion after the cover mechanism is assembled. In addition,here, the “permanent support” means a support in which the covermechanism is supported even after the assembly, and the “temporarysupport” means a temporary support in which the cover mechanism is notsupported after the assembly.

According to the twelfth related embodiment, when the cover mechanism isassembled on the mounting device main body, the support base end of thebiasing spring temporarily supported by the temporarily receivingportion of the cover member is transferred from the abutment position ofthe temporarily receiving portion to the abutment position of thepermanently receiving portion according to the assembly movement of thecover member, and the support base end can be permanently supported bythe permanently receiving portion after the cover member is assembled.Accordingly, the cover mechanism can be assembled on the mounting devicemain body without using a jig or the like.

According to the battery mounting structure of the thirteenth relatedembodiment, in the battery mounting structure according to the twelfthrelated embodiment, the relationship between the permanently receivingportion and the temporarily receiving portion is configured such thatthe position of the support base end permanently supported by thepermanently receiving portion after the cover member is assembled ispositioned to further approach in a direction in which the biasingspring is compressed compared to the position of the support base endtemporarily supported by the temporarily receiving portion. According tothe battery mounting structure of the thirteenth related embodiment,since the position of the support base end permanently supported by thepermanently receiving portion is positioned to further approach in adirection in which the biasing spring is compressed compared to theposition of the support base end temporarily supported by thetemporarily receiving portion, the permanent support of the support baseend by the permanently receiving portion after the cover member isassembled can be more securely performed.

According to the battery mounting structure of the fourteenth relatedembodiment, in the battery mounting structure according to thethirteenth related embodiment, a shape is provided on a transferstarting portion of the permanently receiving portion when the supportbase end of the biasing spring is transferred from the abutment positionof the temporarily receiving portion to the abutment position of thepermanently receiving portion, and the shape is inclined to support thesupport base end of the biasing spring in the direction in which thebiasing spring is compressed according to the transfer from the abutmentposition of the temporarily receiving portion to the abutment positionof the permanently receiving portion. According to the battery mountingstructure of the fourteenth related embodiment, since the shape, whichis inclined to support the support base end of the biasing spring in thedirection in which the biasing spring is compressed according to thetransfer from the abutment position of the temporarily receiving portionto the abutment position of the permanently receiving portion, isprovided on the transfer starting portion, the transfer according to theassembly movement of the cover member can be more smoothly performed.

According to the battery mounting structure of the fifteenth relatedembodiment, in the battery mounting structure according to thethirteenth or fourteenth related embodiment, the temporarily receivingportion temporarily supports the support base end of the biasing springat the intermediate portion, and the permanently receiving portionpermanently supports the cover member at both sides of the temporarilyreceiving portion after the cover member is assembled. According to thebattery mounting structure of the fifteenth related embodiment, sincethe temporarily receiving portion temporarily supports the cover memberat the intermediate portion and the permanently receiving portionpermanently supports the cover member at both sides of the temporarilyreceiving portion after the cover member is assembled, the support rangeof the permanent support is expanded and a stable support can berealized while the structures of the temporarily receiving portion andthe permanently receiving portion can be combined with each other to besmaller.

According to the sixteenth related embodiment, there is provided acharger including the battery mounting structure of any one of thetwelfth to fifteenth related embodiments, the mounting device main bodyis a charger main body which is configured to charge the chargeable typebattery, the mounting side terminal is a charger terminal whichcontributes to the charging of the chargeable type battery, and thecover mechanism is a terminal cover mechanism which is disposed outsidethe charger terminal. According to the charger of the sixteenth relatedembodiment, the charger may have the function as the terminal covermechanism disposed outside the charger terminal of the charger, and canprovide effects of the twelfth to fifteenth related embodiments in theterminal cover mechanism.

According to the battery mounting structure of the twelfth relatedembodiment, the cover mechanism can be assembled on the mounting devicemain body without using a jig or the like.

According to the battery mounting structure of the thirteenth relatedembodiment, the permanent support of the support base end by thepermanently receiving portion after the cover member is assembled can bemore securely performed.

According to the battery mounting structure of the fourteenth relatedembodiment, the transfer according to the assembly movement of the covermember can be more smoothly performed.

According to the battery mounting structure of the fifteenth relatedembodiment, the support range of the permanent support is expanded and astable support can be realized while the structures of the temporarilyreceiving portion and the permanently receiving portion can be combinedwith each other to be small.

According to the charger of the sixteenth related embodiment, thecharger can provide effects of the twelfth to fifteenth relatedembodiments in the terminal cover mechanism while having the function asthe terminal cover mechanism disposed outside the charger terminal ofthe charger.

As described above, the first to fourth battery attachment portions 11to 14 individually include the configuration for charging the batterypacks B independently from one another. However, methods for chargingthe battery attachment portions together have been performed. FIGS. 14to 16 show the lower divided housing 22 and the internal structure inthe charger 10 in the state where the upper divided housing 21 isdetached. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned tothe above-described members or configurations such as the recessedportion 23 for drawing out the power source cord.

The control substrate 40 having a flat plate shape is attached with apredetermined gap along the bottom portion 27 in the lower dividedhousing 22.

Two terminal receiving boards 41 and 42 are provided in parallel in theright-left direction on the upper portion of the control substrate 40.The first terminal plate 43 and the second terminal plate 44 are mountedon the first left terminal receiving board 41. The third terminal plate45 and the fourth terminal plate 46 are mounted on the second rightterminal receiving board 42.

The positive and negative connection terminals 11 b and 11 b and thesignal transmission and reception connector 11 d for the first batteryattachment portion 11 are mounted on the first terminal plate 43. Thepositive and negative connection terminals 12 b and 12 b and the signaltransmission and reception connector 12 d for the second batteryattachment portion 12 are mounted on the second terminal plate 44. Thepositive and negative connection terminals 13 b and 13 b and the signaltransmission and reception connector 13 d for the third batteryattachment portion 13 are mounted on the third terminal plate 45. Thepositive and negative connection terminals 14 b and 14 b and the signaltransmission and reception connector 14 d for the fourth batteryattachment portion 14 are mounted on the fourth terminal plate 46. Asshown in FIG. 20, a spring 47 is attached to the lower portion of eachof the terminal plates 43 to 46, and the terminal plate 43 and the upperdivided housing 21 are configured to come into close contact with eachother through the biasing force of the spring 47 when the upper dividedhousing 21 is attached.

When the upper divided housing 21 is connected to the lower dividedhousing 22, as described above, the first to fourth terminal plates 43to 46 protrude from the first to fourth pedestal portions 64 to 67 ofthe upper divided housing 21 to the upper surface sides via therectangular window portions 43 a to 46 a provided on the first to fourthpedestal portions 64 to 67 of the upper divided housing 21, and thus,the connection terminals 11 b to 14 b and the connectors 11 d to 14 d inthe battery attachment portions 11 to 14 protrude to be connectable tothe battery pack B.

Top plate portions 41 a and 42 a, which are bent in a rectangular shapetoward the upper portion between the first terminal plate 43 and thesecond terminal plate 44 and between the third terminal plate 45 and thefourth terminal plate 46, are formed on the bottom portions of bothterminal receiving boards 41 and 42. Accordingly, the space in theheight direction between both top plate portions 41 a and 42 a and thecontrol substrate 40 is significantly larger than the space in theheight direction between the bottom portions 41 b and 42 b supportingthe first to fourth terminal plates 43 to 46 and the control substrate40. Therefore, a large electronic member having a large height dimensionsuch as a capacitor or a transformer can be mounted on the controlsubstrate 40 on the lower portions of both top plate portions 41 a and42 a.

As shown in FIG. 16, each of both drain channels 41 c and 42 c isprovided on the rear surface side of each of both terminal receivingboards 41 and 42. Both drain channels 41 c and 42 c are respectivelyprovided over the entire width in the right and left width directionsfrom the right ends to the left ends of both terminal receiving boards41 and 42. As shown in the drawings, each of both drain channels 41 cand 42 c is inclined in a direction descending to the left side. Drainoutlets (drain holes) 41 d and 42 d are respectively provided on thelowest portions which are the left ends of both terminal receivingboards 41 and 42.

As shown in FIG. 24, each of both drain outlets 41 d and 42 dcommunicates with a drain outlet 27 f, which is open to the bottomsurface 27, via the side of the control substrate 40. As shown in thedrawings, the drain outlet 27 f is inclined towards the front surfaceside, and an eaves portion 27 g is provided to protrude to the frontsurface side along the bottom surface at the rear portion (the upperportion in FIG. 24) of the drain outlet. According to the eaves portion27 g, as shown in the drawings, when the charger 10 is mounted in therising state in which the front surface side is grounded, a backflow ofrainwater or the like falling from the upper portion toward the drainoutlets 41 d and 42 d sides and the terminal plates 43 to 46 sides isprevented. In addition, also in the case in which the charger 10 iscarried in the state where the strap ST is hung on a shoulder while thefront surface side of the charger is directed downward, according to theeaves portion 27 g, 27 g, a backflow of rainwater or the like toward thedrain outlets 41 d and 42 d sides and eventually the terminal plates 43to 46 sides is prevented.

In this way, according to the drain channels 41 c and 42 c and the drainoutlets 41 d and 42 d provided on both terminal receiving boards 41 and42, rainwater or the like pouring on the charger 10 is not accumulatedon the terminal receiving boards 41 and 42 and drains to the outside ofthe main body housing 20, and thus, submersion of the control substrate40 is prevented, and water-proofing property (durability) of the charger10 can be increased.

Moreover, compared to four separate terminal receiving boards beingrespectively set to the terminal plates 43, 44, 45, and 46, in a totalof four battery attachment portions 11 to 14, the first terminal plate43 of the first battery attachment portion 11 and the second terminalplate 44 of the second battery attachment portion 12 are mounted on thefirst common terminal receiving board 41, the third terminal plate 45 ofthe third battery attachment portion 13 and the fourth terminal plate 46of the fourth battery attachment portion 14 are mounted on the secondcommon terminal receiving board 42, four terminal plates 43 to 46 aresupported by two terminal receiving boards 41 and 42, and thus, thenumber of parts (common use of parts) can be reduced.

Moreover, the common drain channel 41 c (42 c) and drain outlet 41 d (42d) are provided with respect to one terminal receiving board 41 (42)supporting two terminal plates 43 and 44 (45 and 46), and in thisregard, the common parts or configurations with respect to the pluralityof battery attachment portions can be used.

In addition, compared to a case when the terminal receiving boards 41and 42, the drain channels 41 c and 42 c, and the drain outlets 41 d and42 d are set separately, when common use of the parts of the terminalreceiving boards 41 and 42 is achieved and the drain channels 41 c and42 c and the drain outlets 41 d and 42 d are used together with respectto the plurality of battery attachment portions 11 to 14, the space inthe main body housing 20 is effectively used, and thus, for example, alarge electronic part or a plurality of electronic parts can be mountedon the control substrate 40, and a limitation on a substrate layout canbe decreased.

According to the four-port type charger 10 of the present embodimentconfigured as above, in four terminal plates 43 to 46, the terminalplates 43 and 44 are supported by one terminal receiving board 41, andsimilarly, the terminal plates 45 and 46 are supported by one terminalreceiving board 42. Accordingly, compared to the configuration in whichfour terminal plates 43 to 46 are supported by separate terminalreceiving boards, the number of parts of the terminal receiving boardcan be halved, and thus, the space in the main body housing 20 can beeffectively used, and a large mounting area of the control substrate 40can be secured.

Moreover, the common drain channels 41 c (42 c) and drain outlets 41 d(42 d) can be provided on one terminal receiving board 41 (42)supporting two terminal plates 43 and 44 (45 and 46), and also accordingto this, the common parts and configurations can be used, and in thisregard, the space in the main body housing 20 can be further effectivelyused.

In addition, the top plate portions 41 a and 42 a, in which each heightdimension from the control substrate 40 is one step higher than each ofthe bottom portions 41 b and 42 b supporting terminal plates 43 to 46,are provided on the exemplified terminal receiving boards 41 and 42.Therefore, for example, a large electronic part having a larger heightdimension such as a capacitor or a transformer can be disposed on thelower portions of both top plate portions 41 a and 42 a, and in thisregard, a degree of freedom on the mounting part layout on the controlsubstrate 40 can be increased.

Various modifications can be applied to the exemplified embodiment. Forexample, the configuration is exemplified in which four terminal plates43 to 46 are divided into two groups and each group is supported by oneof the terminal receiving boards 41 and 42. However, a configuration inwhich four terminal plates 43 to 46 are supported by one terminalreceiving board may be adopted. In this case, all four terminal plates43 to 46 can have a drain function by one drain channel and one drainoutlet.

Moreover, the drain channels 41 c and 42 c and the drain outlets 41 dand 42 d may be configured to be individually provided on each of theterminal plates 43 to 46. In addition, the drain channels 41 c and 42 cand the drain outlets 41 d and 42 d may be omitted.

Moreover, the top plate portions 41 a and 42 a of the terminal receivingboards 41 and 42 may be omitted.

The above-described configurations can be understood by the followingseventeenth to nineteenth related embodiments.

According to the seventeenth related embodiment, there is provided amulti-port type charger in which a plurality of battery packs aresimultaneously mounted and can be charged, in which a plurality ofterminal plates to which the plurality of battery packs are connectedare supported by a main body housing via a common terminal receivingboard.

According to the seventeenth related embodiment, compared to aconfiguration in which the plurality of terminal plates are supported byan individual terminal receiving board, common parts are increased, aspace in the main body housing is effectively used, and an increase in amounting area of the control substrate can be easily secured.

For example, in the case of the four-port type charger, four terminalplates are grouped in two, two terminal plates are supported by oneterminal receiving board, and thus, two terminal receiving boards cansupport four terminal plates. In this way, for example, one drainchannel is provided on the terminal receiving boards in which the partsare commonly used, and thus, two terminal plates can function as a drainchannel. Four terminal plates may be configured to be supported by oneterminal receiving board.

According to the eighteenth related embodiment, in the seventeenthrelated embodiment, a common drain channel is provided on the pluralityof terminal plates in the terminal receiving board.

According to the eighteenth related embodiment, the common terminalreceiving board is used for the plurality of terminal plates, and thus,compared to the configuration in which individual terminal receivingboards are used, the space in the main body housing can be effectivelyused, and an increase in a mounting area of the control substrate can besecured.

According to the nineteenth related embodiment, in the seventeenth oreighteenth related embodiment, the terminal receiving board is bentupward between the plurality of terminal plates, and the height of theterminal receiving board is higher than the attachment portion of theterminal plate.

According to the nineteenth related embodiment, when the controlsubstrate is disposed at the lower portion of the terminal receivingboard, a part such as a transformer having a large height dimension canbe disposed on the control substrate in the lower portion between theplurality of terminal plates, and in this regard, the limitation in thelayout of the mounting part on the control substrate can be decreased.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, right and left end top plate portions 15and 16 having a narrow width, and top plate portions 17 to 19 having awide width at three locations in the center are provided on the upperdivided housing 21 of the main body housing 20 on the upper surface ofthe charger 10. The first battery attachment portion 11 is disposedbetween the first left end top plate portion 15 and the second centerleft side top plate portion 17. The second battery attachment portion 12is disposed between the second top plate portion 17 and the third centertop plate portion 18. The third battery attachment portion 13 isdisposed between the third top plate portion 18 and the fourth centerright side top plate portion 19. The fourth battery attachment portion14 is disposed between the fourth top plate portion 19 and the fifthright end top plate portion 16.

Each of the top plate portions 15 to 19 is set to the same heightposition and is set to a higher position than each of the terminalcovers 11 c to 14 c of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14.Moreover, each of the receiving rail portions 11 a, 11 a to 14 a, 14 aof the battery attachment portions 11 to 14 is provided to protrude tothe opposite inner side along the upper surface of each of the top plateportions 15 to 19.

In this way, since each of the first to fourth battery attachmentportions 11 to 14 is disposed at a lower region than each of the firstto fifth top plate portions 15 to 19 positioned at both right and leftsides, for example, even when the charger 10 accidentally falls on thefloor, or even when other articles such as an electric tool areaccidentally disposed on the charger 10 mounted on a work table, or thelike, each of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14 does not directlycollide with the floor surface, or other articles do not directly comeinto contact with or do not collide with each of the battery attachmentportions 11 to 14, and thus, damage to each of the battery attachmentportions 11 to 14 can be avoided in advance. Accordingly, each of thefirst to fifth top plate portions 15 to 19 can function as a side guideportion of each of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, 13, and 17, each of the first to fifth top plateportions 15 to 19 extends in the front-rear direction along the uppersurface of the main body housing 20. An inclined surface, which isinclined at a larger angle in a direction descending to the frontsurface side, is provided on the front surface side of each of the firstto fifth top plate portions 15 to 19. Operation display portions 51 and52 for informing the operation state of each of the first to fourthbattery attachment portions 11 to 14 are provided on inclined surfaces17 a and 19 a of the second top plate portion 17 and the fourth topplate portion 19 positioned at the right side and left side of thecenter. The first left operation display portion 51 is disposed betweenthe first battery attachment portion 11 and the second batteryattachment portion 12, and the second right operation display portion 52is disposed between the third battery attachment portion 13 and thefourth battery attachment portion 14. LEDs 51 a and 51 b which displaythe operating conditions of the first battery attachment portion 11 andthe second battery attachment portion 12 are collectively disposed onthe first left operation display portion 51. LEDs 52 a and 52 b whichdisplay the operating conditions of the third battery attachment portion13 and the fourth battery attachment portion 14 are collectivelydisposed on the second right operation display portion 52.

Four LEDs are disposed on each of both operation display portions 51 and52. In the first operation display portion 51, the operation state ofthe first battery attachment portion 11 is displayed by two upper andlower LEDs of the left side, and the operation state of the secondbattery attachment portion 12 is displayed by two upper and lower LEDsof the right side. Moreover, in the second operation display portion 52,the operation state of the third battery attachment portion 13 isdisplayed by two upper and lower LEDs of the left side, and theoperation state of the fourth battery attachment portion 14 is displayedby two upper and lower LEDs of the right side. In each of both operationdisplay portions 51 and 52, a green LED 51 a is disposed at the upperside, and a red LED 51 b is disposed at the lower side. Information suchas “during charging” or “charge complete” of each of the batteryattachment portions 11 to 14 is informed by combining flashing,lighting, and turning-off of two upper and lower LEDs 51 a and 51 b, and52 a and 52 b.

In this way, since the first and second operation display portions 51and 52, which display the operations of the first to fourth batteryattachment portions 11 to 14 by the LEDs, are disposed on the inclinedsurfaces 17 a and 19 a of the front surface which are easily seen by theuser, when the charger 10 is mounted on the worktable or when thecharger is mounted in a wall-hanging state, it is possible to easily andvisually recognize the charging state of the battery packs B.

Moreover, the operation states of the first and second batteryattachment portions 11 and 12 are collectively displayed on the firstsingle operation display portion 51, and the operation states of thethird and fourth battery attachment portions 13 and 14 are collectivelydisplayed on the second single operation display portion 52.Accordingly, compared to a case when the operation display portions areindividually set for each of the battery attachment portions 11 to 14,much information can be informed in a smaller space.

According to the charger 10 of the present embodiment configured asdescribed above, the engagement convex portions 28 and 28 of the wallsurface W side are hooked to the pair of right and left hook portions(tumbler-shaped hole) 27 e and 27 e which are provided on the bottomsurface 27 of the main body housing 20, and the fixing screws 29 and 29are fastened to the pair of right and left fixing holes 30 and 30, andthus it is possible to mount the main body housing 20 and the charger 10in a wall-hanging state on the wall surface W. Accordingly, compared tothe hook state of the related art in which only the tumbler-shaped holeis used, it is possible to mount the charger 10 in a more stablewall-hanging posture, and for example, even when a person carelesslycomes into contact with the charger 10 in the wall-hanging state or thelike, positional deviation does not occur.

Moreover, since the charger is mounted in the state where the charger iscompletely fixed to the wall surface W, the user can operate the batterypack B with one hand even when the battery pack B is attached to or isdetached from the battery attachment portions 11 to 14 of the charger10. In this regard, handleability of the charger 10 in the wall-hangingmounting state can be increased.

In addition, according to the exemplified charger 10, since the fixinghole 30 is provided on the bottom portion (bottom edge portion 26 a) ofthe lower recessed portion 26 provided at the position which does notprotrude from the side area S in a planar view of the main body housing20, strength of the bottom edge portion 26 a is increased, and thus, thecharger is not easily damaged. Accordingly, the thickness of each of thebottom edge portions 26 a and 26 a is decreased, and thus, the requiredlength of each of the fixing screws 29 and 29 can be shortened.Moreover, the screwing is performed through the fixing holes 30 and 30on the lower divided housing 22 side rather than the upper dividedhousing 21 side. In this regard, it is possible to securely and rigidlyfix the main body housing 20 to the wall surface W by short fixingscrews 29 and 29.

Moreover, the bottom edge portions 25 a and 25 a of the upper recessedportions 25 and 25 are disposed to cover the upper portion of the bottomedge portions 26 a and 26 a of the lower recessed portions 26 and 26 inwhich the fixing holes 30 and 30 are provided, and thus, the bottom edgeportions 26 a and 26 a of the lower recessed portions 26 and 26 can beconfigured so as not to be easily damaged.

Moreover, the through-holes (strap attachment holes 31 and 31) which arecoaxial with the fixing holes 30 and 30 are provided on the bottom edgeportions 25 a and 25 a of the upper recessed portions 25 and 25, thethrough-holes are used as operating holes into which a driver(screwdriver) D is inserted, and thus the fastening operations of thefixing screws 29 and 29 with respect to the fixing holes 30 and 30 canbe performed rapidly and conveniently. In this regard, it is possible toincrease workability in the mounting of the charger 10.

In addition, since the strap attachment holes 31 and 31 (through-holes)are provided on the upper divided housing 21 and the fixing holes 30 and30 are provided on the lower divided housing 22, when the housings aremanufactured by resin molding, a molding die can be more simplified, andthere can be reduction in a manufacturing cost of the charger 10.

Various modifications can be applied to the exemplified embodiment. Forexample, although the configuration is exemplified in which the upperand lower recessed portions 25, 25, 26, and 26 are provided on the rearsurface side of the main body housing 20 and the fixing holes 30 and 30are provided on the bottom edge portions 26 a and 26 a, the similarconfigurations may be provided on the right and left portions of themain body housing 20.

Moreover, instead of the front surface side hook portions 27 e and 27 e,a fixing hole for fastening a fixing screw may be provided, or the hookportions 27 e and 27 e may be omitted, or the fixing screws 29 and 29may be fastened to only the fixing holes 30 and 30 of the rear surfaceside, so that the charger may be fixed in a wall-hanging state.

Moreover, the bottom edge portions 25 a and 25 a of the upper recessedportions 25 and 25 may be omitted, and the lower recessed portions 26and 26 may be open to the upper surface of the main body housing 20.

Moreover, the four-port type charger 10 is exemplified. However, thepresent embodiment may be similarly applied to a charger of one-porttype, two-port type, three-port type, or five or more-port type batteryattachment portion.

In the exemplified wall-hanging structure, by screwing to the wall, thecharger can be mounted in a more stable wall-hanging posture than thehooking state in which only the tumbler-shaped hole is used. Incontrast, in a wall-hanging structure according to a second embodimentdescribed below, the fixing hole for screwing is omitted and a hookstructure using the tumbler-shaped hole is provided, and similar effectscan be also obtained by the related second embodiment.

FIGS. 25 to 27 show the wall-hanging structure according to the secondembodiment. The same reference numerals are used with respect to theportions and configurations which do not need modifications, anddescriptions thereof are omitted. Hook portions 35 and 35 and regulatingportions 36 and 36 are provided on four corners of the bottom surface 27of the main body housing 20. Recessed hook portions 35 a having atumbler-shaped hole shape are provided on each of the pair of right andleft hook portions 35 and 35 of the rear surface side. Each of the pairof right and left regulating portions 36 and 36 of the front surfaceside is a wall portion which protrudes to the wall surface W side, and arecessed releasing portion 36 a is provided on the base side of theregulating portion. Each of the recessed releasing portions 36 a and 36a is provided on the rear surface side of the regulating portion 36. Theregulating portions 36 and 36 are integrally molded to the bottomsurface 27 of the main body housing formed of a synthetic resin.

Hook convex portions 37 and 37 corresponding to the hook portions 35 and35 of the rear surface side are provided on the wall surface W on whichthe charger 10 is mounted. Moreover, engagement convex portions 38 and38 corresponding to the pair of right and left regulating portions 36and 36 are provided on the lower portion of the right and left hookconvex portions 37 and 37.

In order to mount the charger 10 in a wall-hanging state on the wallsurface W, first, as shown in FIG. 25, the hook convex portions 37 areinserted into each of the upper side recessed hook portions 35 a and 35a. At this time, as shown in the drawings, the front surface side of thecharger 10 rises up from the wall surface W, and an inclined posture inwhich the front surface side regulating portions 36 and 36 are inclinedso as not to interfere with the engagement convex portions 38 and 38 ismaintained, and the upper side hook convex portions 37 and 37 areinserted into the recessed hook portions 35 a and 35 a. Thereafter, asshown in FIG. 26, the charger 10 moves to the lower portion, and each ofthe hook convex portions 37 and 37 are hooked to the recessed hookportion 35 a. The charger 10 moves to the lower portion, and thus, thefront surface side regulating portions 36 and 36 are displaced to thefront sides (lower side) of the lower side engagement convex portions 38and 38.

As shown in FIG. 26, in the state where the charger 10 moves to thelower side and the lower side regulating portions 36 and 36 aredisplaced to the front sides of the engagement convex portions 38 and38, when the front surface side of the charger 10 moves to the wallsurface W side and the regulating portions 36 and 36 abut the wallsurface W as shown in FIG. 27, the mounting of the charger 10 to thewall surface W is completed. Each of the front surface side regulatingportions 36 and 36 abuts the wall surface W in the front sides (lowerside) of the engagement convex portions 38 and 38.

In this mounting state, each of the upper side hook portions 35 and 35abuts the wall surface W, and the hook convex portion 37 is insertedinto each of the recessed hook portions 35 a and 35 a having atumbler-shaped hole shape. Accordingly, in the charger 10, thedisplacement to the lower portion, the displacement to the right andleft sides, and the displacement in a direction away from the wallsurface W are regulated. Moreover, in the mounting state as shown inFIG. 27, the front surface side regulating portions 36 and 36 arepositioned below the lower side engagement convex portions 38 and 38 andfunction as a stopper, and thus, the upward displacement of the charger10 is regulated.

In addition, each of the rear surfaces (the upper surfaces in thewall-hanging mounting state) 36 b and 36 b of both regulating portions36 and 36 is molded to be perpendicular to the wall surface W in thewall-hanging mounting state, and thus, reliable engagement states withrespect to the engagement convex portions 38 and 38 can be obtained.

In this way, according to the wall-hanging structure of the secondembodiment, the charger 10 is mounted on the wall surface W in the statewhere the positional deviation of the charger in both the up and thedown directions (attachment and detachment directions of the batterypack B) is regulated. Accordingly, when the battery pack B slides towardthe lower portion and is attached with respect to the first to fourthbattery attachment portions 11 to 14 of the charger 10 in thewall-hanging state, the user does not need to press the charger 10 witha hand so that the charger 10 is not displaced downward, and when theuser slides the battery pack B while grasping the battery pack B withone hand, it is possible to rapidly and simply attach the battery pack Bto the battery attachment portions 11 to 14. Moreover, conversely, whenthe battery pack B is detached from the battery attachment portions 11to 14 and it is sufficient for the user to slide the battery pack B tothe upper portion while grasping the battery pack B with one hand, theuser does not need to press the charger 10 so that the charger is notdisplaced. In this regard, handleability (operability) of the charger 10can be increased.

In addition, according to the wall-hanging structure of the exemplifiedsecond embodiment, since the displacement in the up-down and right-leftdirections of the charger 10 and the displacement of the charger 10 inthe direction away from the wall surface W are regulated, even when aperson carelessly comes into contact with the charger or the like, thepositional deviation is assuredly prevented.

Especially, since the rear surfaces 36 b and 36 b of both lower sideregulating portions 36 and 36 are formed to be perpendicular to the wallsurface W in the detachment direction (upward direction) of the charger,the hooked state of each of the rear surfaces 36 b and 36 b with respectto the engagement convex portions 38 and 38 is more accuratelymaintained, and as a result, the displacement in the detachmentdirection of the charger 10 is securely regulated, and convenience inthe detachment operation is improved.

On the other hand, for example, when the rear surfaces of bothregulating portions 36 and 36 are provided to be inclined in a direction(an obtuse angle direction with respect to the bottom portion of therecessed portion 36 a) in which the tip side is displaced to the lowerportion considering a draft angle of a molding die, the displacement inthe detachment direction (the upward direction in the wall-hangingmounting state) of the charger 10 is easily permitted, and the hookedstate of the charger with respect to the engagement convex portion 38becoming unstable. Accordingly, when the user grasps the battery pack Bwith one hand and detaches the battery pack from the battery attachmentportions 11 to 14, the user needs to press the charger with the otherhand so that the charger 10 itself is not displaced, and in this regard,usability of the charger 10 is decreased.

Therefore, as exemplified, with respect to the angles of the rearsurfaces 36 b and 36 b of both regulating portions 36 and 36, inaddition to the configuration in which the rear surfaces are molded tobe perpendicular to the wall surface W, more preferably, the rearsurfaces are molded to be inclined in a direction of an acute angle inwhich the tip side is displaced upward.

What is claimed is:
 1. A charger comprising: a main body housing thatincludes a bottom surface, the charger capable of being mounted along awall surface at the bottom surface of the main body in a wall-hangingmanner; a battery attachment portion to which a battery pack downwardlyslides to attach and from which the battery pack upwardly slides todetach in the wall-hanging manner; and a regulating member that engageswith the wall surface such that the regulating member regulates arelative displacement of the main body housing with respect to the wallsurface in a detachment direction of the battery pack, wherein: the mainbody housing includes a two-piece structure in which a lower dividedhousing and an upper divided housing are mated with each other at ajoining surface, the upper divided housing including the batteryattachment portion and the lower divided housing being disposed closestto the wall surface when the charger is mounted along the wall surface;a lower recessed portion that is inwardly recessed in a side face areaviewing from a view perpendicular to the joining surface is provided inthe lower divided housing; an entirety of the lower recessed portiondoes not overlap the battery attachment portion viewing from the viewperpendicular to the joining surface; a fixing hole for screwing themain body housing to the wall surface is provided on a bottom edgeportion of the lower recessed portion; and a fixing screw that isinserted to the fixing hole for screw-fastening functions as theregulating member; an upper recessed portion is provided in the upperdivided housing such that the upper recessed portion is positioneddirectly above the lower recessed portion viewing from the viewperpendicular to the joining surface; and a bottom edge portion of theupper recessed portion is positioned above the fixing hole.
 2. Thecharger according to claim 1, wherein a through-hole that is coaxialwith the fixing hole is provided in the bottom edge portion of the upperrecessed portion.
 3. The charger according to claim 2, wherein thethrough-hole functions as a strap attachment hole for attaching a strapfor carrying the charger on the shoulder.
 4. The charger according toclaim 1, wherein the lower recessed portion is provided in the lowerdivided housing extending from a side face of the lower divided housingto an interior thereof, the lower recessed portion being disposed in thevicinity of right and left ends of the side face of the lower dividedhousing, respectively.